April in review: Animal welfare failures, eco-label debate and cocoa price surge mitigation

29 Apr 2024 --- In April, disputes over the effectiveness of eco-labels, sustainability in supply chains, greenwashing and failures in animal welfare within the food industry were all significant issues. 

Food giant Nestlé pushed back against calls for it to broaden healthy offerings and reduce products that are high in sugar, salt and fat, while Unilever faced heavy criticism for reneging on ESG goals.

Meanwhile, record high cocoa prices continued to impact market dynamics in the sector while also driving some positive industry reactions, including cocoa alternative developments and regenerative agriculture initiatives.

The spread of avian influenza was also highlighted this month as fears escalated over its spread, driven by the virus being detected in US cattle. 

Here, we recap the most significant stories of the month to ensure you stay informed about key F&B industry developments.

April
Veggie victory in South Africa as court rules on plant-based nomenclature amid alt-meat pushback
A South African court ruled against a government plan to seize plant-based products from supermarket shelves if they use “meat-like” names on the labels such as “nuggets,” “burgers,” or “sausage.” A two-year court interdict had been in place to temporarily prevent any seizures thus far, but the nomenclature disagreement was not fully resolved until earlier this month. We spoke to ProVeg South Africa director Donovan Will, who welcomed the court’s decision and said meat alternatives labeling is no longer under threat.

China’s BGG goes global with new Swiss base and diversifies into food ingredients
BGG, a leading Chinese branded ingredient supplier, revealed plans to create a new global headquarters in Switzerland as a launchpad for international expansion. Operating as BGG World, the company said it intended to diversify into the food ingredients sector, beginning with its existing stevia and licorice extract solutions.

Cocoa companies are developing new ways to mitigate climate-induced draought and biodiversity issues.Cocoa crisis: Bio-based tech and regenerative agriculture help alleviate market upheaval
We examined how companies have developed novel ways to mitigate the current challenges in the cocoa industry. Climate-induced drought, broader biodiversity issues and disease are ravaging cocoa crop yields in key growing regions in West Africa — which is impacting market dynamics and pushing up prices globally. But, in a positive response, several firms have alleviated the difficulties by boosting regenerative agriculture, creating cocoa alternatives and bio-based technologies. Also this month, Cargill’s alternative cocoa collaboration got off the ground.

Leveraging leftovers: Researchers unlock tech to extract protein from beer brewing waste
Scientists in Singapore leveraged a technology to extract 80% of the available protein from beer-brewing leftovers, known as brewers’ spent grain. The protein extraction helps reduce waste and is used in protein enrichment for plant-based foods and in dairy, bakery foaming and gelling applications.

Nestlé fights off shareholder proposal to reduce “unhealthy” food products
Nestlé resisted investor proposals to reduce fat, salt, and sugar levels in its products by voting down the shareholder proposal during the company’s AGM. Only 11% of shareholders backed calls to cut back on “unhealthy” offerings across its portfolio, insisting that it does, in fact, provide a diverse range of healthier F&B. Later in the month, Nestlé reported a Q1 sales decline but said it expected organic growth projects to spur a turnaround.

Researchers extracted 80% of the available protein in brewers’ spent grain, the solid residue from malted barley after brewing beer.Future Farming Initiative: Barry Callebaut creates “high-tech and sustainable” cocoa farming business
Barry Callebaut announced plans to create a fully scalable, sustainable and profitable cocoa farming model for the industry. The group said it will establish the investment company FFI to develop technology and R&D capabilities. The chocolate and cocoa giant believes FFI could be a catalyst for others to invest in farming and create partnerships with farmers to modernize sustainable cocoa farming at scale.

Avian influenza spread: WHO gives public health warning as FDA calms food safety concerns
The World Health Organization warned that the ongoing spread of avian influenza poses a “significant public health concern” and urged health authorities, especially in the US, to closely monitor infections in cows. However, the US FDA maintained that the virus is not currently a concern to consumer health and downplayed its impact on commercial milk production. Earlier in April, the largest producer of fresh eggs in the US halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was detected in its chickens.

Unilever U-turn? Multinational faces criticism after ESG strategy rethink
Unilever faced criticism after revealing plans to scale back some of its sustainability targets, including more responsible packaging, backing for SMEs and support for the living wage. The FMCG giant’s CEO, Hein Schumacher, said the company would be more focused on allocating resources to its biggest sustainability priorities, but a backlash ensued, accusing Unilever of diminishing its ethical and environmental targets. 

Carbon footprint climbdown? UK government revises eco-label policy to avoid greenwashing
We looked into UK government plans to introduce common standards on eco-labels for F&B products. A policy paper outlined objectives to avoid greenwashing and consumer confusion, but some considered the revision to be a backslide on previous proposals to move toward a mandatory eco-label system in Britain.

Money where your mouth is? Investor-backed report finds food leaders failing on animal welfare
Despite global food companies now recognizing farm animal welfare as a core business issue, they have generally failed to deliver meaningful change. This was the assertion of The Business Benchmark on Animal Welfare, which ranked 150 leading food companies on animal welfare and gave the vast majority a poor performance impact rating. Also this month, NGOs demanded that the EU take action to alleviate animal suffering at sea.

By Gaynor Selby